Documentaries

Created for a class on documentary production, Industries of the Blind is both a surprisingly charming piece of documentary work and a jolting experience for a young filmmaker.

Captured over the course of two days, Industries of the Blind was a challenge and learning opportunity in every facet. My original concept was to make a cinema verte-styled documentary on one factory employee. But as I went through the process of obtaining permission from directors and meeting potential subjects, I realized that I had to tweak my plans.

In the making of Industries of the Blind, I learned many technical skills: The importance of using native ISOs; The correct way to use a lavaliere; and the necessity of capturing much more b-roll than I planned to use. But perhaps the most important piece of wisdom I took from this project was the necessity to be adaptable, to search for a narrative on site and to pivot subjects when necessary.

Turning Nicole, 2015.

One evening, I asked my neighbor where he was going with a large suitcase, a few sequin dresses and what looked like boxes of crayons (it was makeup). I was interning at Triad City Beat at the time and was eager to find subjects for short documentaries. So I grabbed my backpack and followed my neighbor to a drag bingo night.

The Triad's most authentic barbecue, 2015.

I made "The Triad's most authentic barbecue" to compliment a story by a reporter friend Eric Ginsburg. I tiptoed through busy kitchens to capture shots from (as stated in the title) the Triad's most authentic barbecue joints.

My deadline was the following day and, although it's not my prettiest work, I am incredibly proud of publishing Triad City Beat's first video documentary.